


the story of you

by kocuria



Series: the Winter drabbles [6]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, Canon Divergence - Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gratuitous Kitten References, M/M, Multiple Personalities, Pining, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Sharing a Body, touch-aversion, Перевод на русский | Translation in Russian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25090873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kocuria/pseuds/kocuria
Summary: "He was my everything… and then hediedfor me,” Steve finishes almost inaudibly, aware that he’s saying more than he normally would.Damn that mead. He risks a look at the balcony - Nat and Winter seem to be talking, probably in rapid-fire Russian the way they usually do, and Winter throws his head back andlaughs.Steve goes to pour himself another glass.-Winter sunbathes. Steve pines.(The accidental Steve birthday fic.)
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Winter
Series: the Winter drabbles [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805338
Comments: 28
Kudos: 277
Collections: Steve's Birthday Party (PotsCast)





	the story of you

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [История о тебе](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29052447) by [WTF Stucky and Roles 2021 (WTF_Stucky_and_Roles_2021)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WTF_Stucky_and_Roles_2021/pseuds/WTF%20Stucky%20and%20Roles%202021)



> Well I _swear_ it didn’t start out as Steve’s birthday fic in my head. But, hey, who am I to fight it if it really wants to be. Happy birthday, Steve 😉  
> (PotsCast - a podcast that I'm honored to be a [tiny] part of - is having a [birthday party for Steve](https://www.podonthesuit.com/2020/07/05/episode-ten-happy-birthday-steve/) \- go check them out! 🥳)
> 
> The author has no experience with Dissociative Identity Disorder whatsoever (way too much with other fun mental stuff though).  
> You can find the series timeline [HERE!](https://kocuria.tumblr.com/post/637890812746891264/timeline-for-the-winter-drabbles-series)  
>   
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://kocuria.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/kocuria)

“You’re in _so much trouble,”_ Clint cackles, and Steve forces himself to tear his eyes away through sheer force of the trademarked Captain America willpower.

They’ve all somehow found themselves in Tony’s penthouse - possibly because his balcony is the biggest and has an amazing jacuzzi. The July sun beating down on the concrete made them all flee inside fairly quickly, though, towards air-conditioning and an amazing wet bar.

Thor brought Asgardian mead. Steve might just be a teeny-tiny bit tipsy.

It’s Steve’s birthday. He insisted on no big shindig - especially since the fallout from the battle of the Triskelion is still very much all over the news - and surprisingly, Tony didn’t make a fuss over it. So it’s just Avengers & Co, splayed all over Pepper’s sofas, facing the glass wall overlooking the balcony.

Steve’s got a direct line of sight, okay, he can’t _help_ but look.

(The fact that he picked that particular seat on purpose is not the point. He’s just a good strategist, alright?

Well, _usually_ he is. This particular plan might be backfiring.)

Winter - and, surprisingly, Natasha, is this a Russian thing? - are sunning on the balcony. In an uncharacteristic move, instead of picking one of the luxurious daybeds, Nat’s down on the floor with Winter, comfortable on a thick blanket, tucked close to the building wall and the plants lining the balcony’s edge. Steve still hasn’t figured out whether Winter just uses those as a means to protect his flank, or if he actually likes greenery. He stashes the thought away for later. There’s not a lot of plants on his floor, but if Winter likes them-

“Tony, have you seen my earrings, the ones I got from Rhodey?” Pepper finally makes an appearance. She kissed Steve’s cheek in passing, earlier, apologising for an emergency meeting she had to take with one of the shareholders, but now she’s back, changed into comfortable capri pants and a shirt that looks like it belongs to Tony. She actually wears it much better than him.

“Those cheap-o crystal ones that I could easily exchange for diamonds, Pep, I told you-”

“They’re from _Rhodey,_ Tony. And they’re not _cheap,_ they just didn’t cost more than a small car. Not everything has to, you know.”

Tony pouts. Pepper smiles fondly.

“No, I haven’t,” he yields, just like they knew he would. “Dum-E’s been messing around with the roombas lately, though, so it might be that. I’ll take a look later, I promise.” He makes grabby hands at her.

Pepper folds herself gracefully onto the sofa next to him and Tony’s head immediately lands in her lap. She smiles down at him, then looks curiously at Steve. “So why are you in trouble, Steve?”

Clint and Darcy cackle. Steve just waves towards the balcony and the sunbathing spies-slash-assassins without a word and closes his eyes.

Winter is _smiling._ Steve’s not _equipped_ to deal with that while tipsy.

“Steven has found himself in a… conundrum, so to speak,” Thor says, smiling widely. Steve finds himself wondering, again, whether his particular speech patterns are a product of being an alien prince, or if he’s just fucking with them.

Somehow, his money’s on the latter.

“Winter emerged as soon as Bucky put them in the sun, and Steve’s been salivating,” Darcy adds gleefully, gesturing to where Winter’s wearing just swimming shorts, muscles glistening in the sun. And that _arm..._

“I- I don’t- it’s not- no, it’s not _that!”_ Steve splutters. “He’s like a _kitten,_ one does not salivate over _kittens!_ It’s just. He's. They're. Ugh!” Steve buries his face in his hands. He’s digging himself a deeper hole every time he opens his mouth.

“Well maybe one doesn’t salivate over _kittens,_ but he’s still Bucky too, right? That must be confusing, man,” Clint says, actually sounding sympathetic. Steve just nods wordlessly, face still firmly hidden.

“So what’s the story, you and Bucky?” Pepper asks, gently. “Only if you want to tell us, of course.”

“There’s not much to say. He’s been my everything for as long as I can remember,” Steve shrugs, looking up.

 _"Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield,"_ Bruce quotes, and Steve winces.

“It’s not just that. I don’t remember a time where he wasn’t by my side. We grew up together. We shared an apartment. We went on double dates-” there’s an array of surprised sounds all around the room. “Well that’s what you did, back then. Two bachelors, living together, not dating? We knew we’d have to marry someone, eventually. The hope was that we’d find two gals who would like each other enough for us to, I don’t know, live next to each other and stay in each other's lives that way.”

“So… you weren’t together?” Darcy asks.

“That's not- you don't understand. We didn’t call it that. We couldn’t. What we were, it was illegal. It could have - and probably _would_ have - gotten us beaten, if not killed. We couldn’t risk it. So no, we weren’t together. But he was my everything… and then he _died_ for me,” Steve finishes almost inaudibly, aware that he’s saying more than he normally would.

Damn that mead. He risks a look at the balcony - Nat and Winter seem to be talking, probably in rapid-fire Russian the way they usually do, and Winter throws his head back and _laughs._

Steve goes to pour himself another glass.

There’s a lengthy silence, then Pepper says, simply, “Thank you for telling us, Steve.”

“So you’re not tapping that,” Tony asks, suddenly, then squawks when Pepper elbows him. “Ouch! Sorry, sorry. You two aren’t-”

“It’s none of our business,” Pepper says, pointedly, and Steve sighs.

“It’s a… a work in progress,” he says, and leaves it at that. Jane smiles at him with something like understanding, from where she’s tucked under Thor’s powerful arm.

It is. A work in progress. Bucky explained that Winter doesn’t like being touched - that he has no frame of reference for touching that isn’t violence. There’s been cuddling - always when Bucky’s firmly in control, and always with clothes on - and Bucky says Winter seems to accept the idea, even if he’s not much interested. Steve and Bucky have gone to sleep spooning more often than not, and sometimes Bucky’s still there in the morning - but some days Steve wakes up to an empty bed and goes up to the roof, to find Winter watching the sunrise with a mug of hot chocolate in hand. He doesn’t seem to mind it, now, there’s no resentment or distress… so it’s already a win, in Steve’s mind.

As for any other stuff… Steve hasn’t pushed and Bucky seems to be good with that, for now. Steve doesn’t know what’s going to happen later on. If this is all he ever gets from them - either of them - he’s still going to call himself the luckiest man on Earth. In all nine realms, in fact.

He’s been letting the conversation wash over him, comforted by the cheerful cadence of familiar voices, when suddenly he hears the balcony door open. He can’t help but perk up like a meerkat, and is rewarded with a sight of Natasha and Bucky- no, Winter, that’s Winter, his expression way too serene and not nearly roguish enough to be Bucky - coming back inside.

“Too hot even for you?” he asks, smiling, and Winter shakes his head slowly, looking for all the world like a cat that just sunned himself to his heart’s content.

“Bucky reminded me of something I forgot to do,” he says with a grin. Nat’s smirking from where she’s standing by his side, managing to still somehow look like a predator even in a pink strappy bikini. Winter put on a T-shirt, though - Steve figured out very quickly he feels more comfortable with extra layers between him and people around him, even in the summer heat.

Steve stands up immediately. Forgot to do? Does he need help with something? Should Steve-

Winter makes his way towards him, the murder strut looking completely different when done with a beaming smile, stops right in front of Steve, then

carefully

embraces

him.

It’s quick, and a bit awkward, like he doesn’t know what he’s doing - he probably _doesn’t_ \- and he lets go so fast Steve doesn’t even have any time to react, completely stunned. The smile on Winter’s face is somewhat unsure around the edges when he says,

“Happy birthday, Steve,” then struts his way out of the room. Nat throws Steve a meaningful glance that he’s too floored to decipher, then goes after Winter.

Steve feels. Like.

Like he just drank a whole barrel of the mead.

Like there’s bubbles fizzing through his veins.

Like he’s going to _float away,_ his heart suddenly so light it’s lifting him up.

Like he wants to rewind the moment and experience it again. And again. And again.

The hushed silence behind him is broken by sudden hooting, started by Clint, but quickly picked up by Tony and Darcy. He turns in place, still speechless, to see all the Avengers & Co absolutely exuberant.

“So. Much. Trouble,” Clint cackles again.

**Author's Note:**

> Meerkat!Steve:  
>   
>   
>   
>   
> Let me know what you think! 🙃  
>   
>   
> 


End file.
